Evangelicals and the Environment

by Mary

Sarah Posner provides an answer about why conservative evangelicals are not supporters of the environment. One reason is that one of the strongest leaders within the evangelical movement that advocated creation care has been drummed out of the movement. Also the belief in dominionism shapes their worldview:

Indeed the most important, and prevalent views among evangelicals that explain the overall lack of ardor for environmentalism is dominionism, and their views on the "limited" role of government. Dominionism holds that God gave humans dominion over the earth; combine that with a common evangelical view of Romans 13, that God ordained government with a narrow role (meaning minimal regulation) and you can see how evangelical leadership promotes the view among their followers that the government is just getting in the way of their God-given "freedom" to be a dominionist. What's more, as Lauri Lebo has reported, the anti-science roots of the creationist movement, which denies the reality of evolution, are just as potent in climate change denial. Creationists and promoters of intelligent design are beginning to use the same tactics they've used in their crusade against teaching environmentalism in schools to teaching climate change, including calls to "teach the controversy" -- even though, just as with evolution, there is absolutely no scientific controversy, but rather agreement.

Perhaps that's why Glenn Beck has come up with the theory that sustainable development is a code word for socialism.